Related provisions for IPRU-INV 13.1A.7
1Note: The following definitions relevant to the prospectus rules are extracted from the Glossary.
Act |
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admission to trading |
admission to trading on a regulated market. |
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advertisement |
(as defined in the PD Regulation) announcements: |
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(1) |
relating to a specific offer to the public of securities or to an admission to trading on a regulated market; and |
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(2) |
aiming to specifically promote the potential subscription or acquisition of securities.4 |
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applicant |
an applicant for approval of a prospectus or supplementary prospectus relating to transferable securities. |
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asset backed security |
(as defined in the PD Regulation) securities which: |
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(1) |
represent an interest in assets, including any rights intended to assure servicing, or the receipt or timeliness of receipts by holders of assets of amounts payable thereunder; or |
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(2) |
are secured by assets and the terms of which provide for payments which relate to payments or reasonable projections of payments calculated by reference to identified or identifiable assets. |
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base prospectus |
a base prospectus referred to in PR 2.2.7 R. |
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body corporate |
(in accordance with section 417(1) of the Act (Definitions) any body corporate, including a body corporate constituted under the law of a country or territory outside the United Kingdom; |
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building block |
(as defined in the PD Regulation) a list of additional information requirements, not included in one of the schedules, to be added to one or more schedules, as the case may be, depending on the type of instrument and/or transaction for which a prospectus or base prospectus is drawn up.4 |
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collective investment undertaking other than the closed-end type |
(in PR) (as defined in Article 2.1(o) of the prospectus directive) unit trusts and investment companies: |
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(1) |
the object of which is the collective investment of capital provided by the public, and which operate on the principle of risk-spreading; |
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(2) |
the units of which are, at the holder's request, repurchased or redeemed, directly or indirectly, out of the assets of these undertakings.4 |
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any body corporate. |
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Consolidated Admissions and Reporting Directive |
Directive 2001/34/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the admission of securities to official stock exchange listing and on information to be published on those securities. |
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credit institution |
as defined in article 4(1)(1) of the 7EUCRR.7 77 |
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director |
(in accordance with section 417(1)(a) of the Act) a person occupying in relation to it the position of a director (by whatever name called) and, in relation to an issuer which is not a body corporate, a person with corresponding powers and duties. |
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EEA State |
(in accordance with paragraph 8 of Schedule 3 to the Act (EEA Passport Rights)) a State which is a contracting party to the agreement on the European Economic Area signed at Oporto on 2 May 1992, as it has effect for the time being; as at 1 May 2004, the following are the EEA States: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. |
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equity security |
(as defined in Article 2.1(b) of the prospectus directive) shares and other transferable securities equivalent to shares in companies, as well as any other type of transferable securities giving the right to acquire any of the aforementioned securities as a consequence of their being converted or the rights conferred by them being exercised, provided that securities of the latter type are issued by the issuer of the underlying shares or by an entity belonging to the group of the said issuer. |
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equity share |
shares comprised in a company'sequity share capital. |
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equity share capital |
(for a company), its issued share capital excluding any part of that capital which, neither as respects dividends nor as respects capital, carries any right to participate beyond a specified amount in a distribution. |
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8 | ||||
(1) |
Format of the base prospectus and consistent application of article 26(4) of the Prospectus Regulation (ESMA/2013/1944);10 |
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(2) |
Framework for the assessment of third country prospectuses under article 20 of the Prospectus Directive (ESMA/2013/317);10 |
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(3) |
Assessment of Israeli laws and regulations on prospectuses (ESMA/2015/1015); and10 |
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(4) |
Assessment of Turkish laws and regulations on prospectuses (ESMA/2016/268). 10 |
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8ESMA Prospectus Questions and Answers |
the Questions and Answers for prospectuses published by ESMA (ESMA/2016/1674)13. 10 |
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ESMA Prospectus Recommendations8 8 |
the ESMA update of the CESR8recommendations: The consistent implementation of Commission Regulation (EC) No 809/2004 implementing the Prospectus Directive (ESMA/2013/319).8 8 |
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executive procedures |
the procedures relating to the giving of warning notices, decision notices and supervisory notices that are described in DEPP 4 (Decision by FCA staff under executive procedures)2. 22 |
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FCA |
the Financial Conduct Authority. |
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guarantee |
(as defined in the PD Regulation) any arrangement intended to ensure that any obligation material to the issue will be duly serviced, whether in the form of guarantee, surety, keep well agreement, mono-line insurance policy or other equivalent commitment. |
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guarantor |
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Home State or Home Member State |
(as defined in section 102C of the Act) in relation to an issuer of transferable securities, the EEA State which is the "home Member State" for the purposes of the prospectus directive (which is to be determined in accordance with Article 2.1(m) of that directive). |
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Host State or Host Member State |
(as defined in Article 2.1(n) of the prospectus directive) the EEA State where an offer to the public is made or admission to trading is sought, when different from the home State. |
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issuer |
(as defined in section 102A of the Act) a legal person who issues or proposes to issue the transferable securities in question.4 |
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(in PR) (as defined in section 87A(9) and (10) of the Act) the information which is essential to enable investors to understand the transferable securities to which the prospectus relates and decide whether to consider the offer further. The key information must include: |
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(a) |
the essential characteristics of, and risks associated with, the issuer and any guarantor, including their assets, liabilities and financial positions; |
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(b) |
the essential characteristics of, and risks associated with, investment in the transferable securities, including any rights attaching to the securities; |
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(c) |
the general terms of the offer, including an estimate of the expenses charged to an investor by the issuer and the offeror, if not the issuer; |
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(d) |
details of the admission to trading; and |
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(e) |
the reasons for the offer and proposed use of the proceeds. |
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(a) |
a body corporate incorporated under the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2000; |
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(b) |
a body corporate incorporated under legislation having the equivalent effect to the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2000. |
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The European Parliament and Council Directive on markets in financial instruments (No. 2004/39/EC). See also MiFID Regulation and MiFID implementing Directive.3 |
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non-equity transferable securities |
(as defined in section 102A of the Act) all transferable securities that are not equity securities. |
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Note: In the prospectus directive and the PD Regulation, the Commission uses the term "non-equity securities" rather than "non-equity transferable securities". |
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offer |
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offer of transferable securities to the public |
(as defined in section 102B of the Act), in summary: |
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(a) |
a communication to any person which presents sufficient information on:
to enable an investor to decide to buy or subscribe for the securities in question; |
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(b) |
which is made in any form or by any means; |
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(c) |
including the placing of securities through a financial intermediary; |
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(d) |
but not including a communication in connection with trading on:
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Note: This is only a summary, to see the full text of the definition, readers should consult section 102B of the Act. |
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offering programme |
(as defined in Article 2.1(k) of the prospectus directive) a plan which would permit the issuance of non-equity securities, including warrants in any form, having a similar type and/or class, in a continuous or repeated manner during a specified issuing period. |
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offeror |
a person who makes an offer of transferable securities to the public. |
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(in relation to a body corporate) (as defined in section 400(5) of the Act (Offences by bodies corporate etc)) a director, member of the committee of management, chief executive, manager, secretary, or other similar officer of the body, or a person purporting to act in that capacity or a controller of the body. |
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overseas company |
a company incorporated outside the United Kingdom. |
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Part 6 rules |
(in accordance with section 73A(1) of the Act), rules made for the purposes of Part 6 of the Act. |
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5partnership |
(in accordance with section 417(1) of the Act (Definitions)) any partnership, including a partnership constituted under the law of a country or territory outside the United Kingdom, but not including a limited liability partnership. |
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PD |
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PD Regulation |
Regulation number 809/2004 of the European Commission. |
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person |
(in accordance with the Interpretation Act 1978) any person, including a body of persons corporate or unincorporated that is, a natural person, a legal person and, for example, a partnership). |
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PR |
the Prospectus Rules sourcebook. |
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profit estimate |
(as defined in the PD Regulation) a profit forecast for a financial period which has expired and for which results have not yet been published. |
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profit forecast |
(as defined in the PD Regulation) a form of words which expressly states or by implication indicates a figure or a minimum or maximum figure for the likely level of profits or losses for the current financial period and/or financial periods subsequent to that period, or contains data from which a calculation of such a figure for future profits or losses may be made, even if no particular figure is mentioned and the word "profit" is not used. |
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property collective investment undertaking |
(as defined in the PD Regulation) a collective investment undertaking whose investment objective is the participation in the holding of property in the long term. |
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prospectus |
a prospectus required under the prospectus directive. |
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prospectus directive |
the Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 November 2003 on the prospectus to be published when securities are offered to the public or admitted to trading (No 2003/71/EC). |
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Regulation (EU) No 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017 on the prospectus to be published when securities are offered to the public or admitted to trading on a regulated market, and repealing Directive 2003/71/EC. |
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8 | 9(1) |
9Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 382/2014 supplementing Directive 2003/71/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to regulatory technical standards for publication of supplements to the prospectus9; and |
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9(2) |
9Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/301 supplementing Directive 2003/71/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to regulatory technical standards for approval and publication of the prospectus and dissemination of advertisements and amending Commission Regulation (EC) No 809/2004. |
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Prospectus Rules |
(as defined in section 73A(4) of the Act) rules expressed to relate to transferable securities. |
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Public international body |
(as defined in the PD Regulation) a legal entity of public nature established by an international treaty between sovereign States and of which one or more Member States are members. |
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qualified investor |
(as defined in section 86(7) of the Act) in relation to an offer of transferable securities:4 |
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(a) |
a person or entity described in points (1) to (4) of Section I of Annex II to MiFID, other than a person who, before the making of the offer, has agreed in writing with the relevant firm (or each of the relevant firms) to be treated as a non-professional client in accordance with MiFID; or4 4 |
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(b) |
a person who has made a request to one or more relevant firms to be treated as a professional client in accordance with Section II of Annex II to MiFID and has not subsequently, but before the making of the offer, agreed in writing with the relevant firm (or each of the relevant firms) to be treated as a non-professional client in accordance with the final paragraph of Section I of Annex II of MiFID; or4 4 |
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(c) |
a person who is recognised as an eligible counterparty in accordance with article 24 of MiFID and has not, before the making of the offer, agreed in writing with the relevant firm (or each of the relevant firms) to be treated as a non-professional client in accordance with the final paragraph of Section I of Annex II of MiFID; or4 4 |
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(d) |
a person whom any relevant firm is authorised to continue to treat as a professional client in accordance with article 71(6) of MiFID.4 |
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registration document |
a registration document referred to in PR 2.2.2 R. |
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regulated information |
(as defined in the PD Regulation) all information which the issuer, or any person who has applied for the admission of securities to trading on a regulated market without the issuer’s consent, is required to disclose under Directive 2001/34/EC or under Article 6 of Directive 2003/6/EC.3 |
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regulated market |
a multilateral system operated and/or managed by a market operator, which brings together or facilitates the bringing together of multiple third-party buying and selling interests in financial instruments in the system and in accordance with its non-discretionary rules in a way that results in a contract, in respect of the financial instruments admitted to trading under its rules and/or systems, and which is authorised and functions regularly and in accordance with the provisions of Title III of MiFID.3 |
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RIS |
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risk factors |
(as defined in the PD Regulation) a list of risks which are specific to the situation of the issuer and/or the securities and which are material for taking investment decisions. |
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rule |
(in accordance with section 417(1) of the Act (Definitions)) a rule made by the FCA under the Act. |
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schedule |
(as defined in the PD Regulation) a list of minimum information requirements adapted to the particular nature of the different types of issuers and/or the different securities involved. |
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securities issued in a continuous and repeated manner |
(as defined in Article 2.1(l) of the prospectus directive) issues on tap or at least two separate issues of securities of a similar type and/or class over a period of 12 months. |
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securities note |
a securities note referred to in PR 2.2.2 R. |
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small and medium-sized enterprise |
(as defined in Article 2.1(f) of the prospectus directive) companies, which, according to their last annual or consolidated accounts, meet at least two of the following three criteria: an average number of employees during the financial year of less than 250, a total balance sheet not exceeding €43,000,000 and an annual net turnover not exceeding €50,000,000. |
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special purpose vehicle |
(as defined in the PD Regulation) an issuer whose objects and purposes are primarily the issue of securities. |
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statutory notice associated decision |
a decision which is made by the FCA and which is associated with a decision to give a statutory notice, including a decision: |
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statutory notice decision |
a decision by the FCA on whether or not to give a statutory notice. |
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(a) |
to determine or extend the period for making representations; |
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(b) |
to determine whether a copy of the statutory notice needs to be given to any third party and the period for him to make representations; |
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(c) |
to refuse access to FCA material; |
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(d) |
as to the information which it is appropriate to publish about the matter to which a final notice or an effective supervisory notice relates. |
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summary |
(in relation to a prospectus) the summary included in the prospectus. |
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supplementary prospectus |
a supplementary prospectus containing details of a new factor, mistake or inaccuracy. |
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transferable security |
(as defined in section 102A of the Act) anything which is a transferable security for the purposes of MiFID3, other than money-market instruments for the purposes of that directive which have a maturity of less than 12 months. 3 |
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Note: In the prospectus directive and PD regulation, the Commission uses the term "security" rather than "transferable security". |
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umbrella collective investment scheme |
(as defined in the PD Regulation) a collective investment undertaking invested in one or more collective investment undertakings, the asset of which is composed of separate class(es) or designation(s) of securities. |
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United Kingdom |
England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (but not the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man). |
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units of a collective investment scheme |
(as defined in Article 2.1(p) of the prospectus directive) securities issued by a collective investment undertaking as representing the rights of the participants in such an undertaking over its assets. |
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working day |
(as defined in section 103 of the Act) any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday, Christmas Day, Good Friday or a day which is a bank holiday under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 in any part of the United Kingdom. |
Glossary of defined terms for Chapter 9
Note: If a defined term does not appear in the glossary below, the definition appearing in the HandbookGlossary applies.
approved exchange |
means an investment exchange listed as such in Appendix 33 to IPRU-INV 3. |
exchange |
means a recognised investment exchange or designated investment exchange. |
initial capital |
means the initial capital of a firm calculated in accordance with section 9.3. |
intangible assets |
the full balance sheet value of a firm's intangible assets including goodwill, capitalised development costs, licences, trademark and similar rights etc. |
intermediate broker |
in relation to a margined transaction, means any person through whom the firm undertakes that transaction. |
material current year losses |
means losses of an amount equal to 10% or more of initial capital minus B (with B calculated in accordance with Table 9.5.2R). |
material holding |
means a firm's holdings of shares and any other interest in the capital of a credit institution or financial institution: (a) which exceeds 10% of the capital of the issuer, and, where this is the case, any holdings of subordinated debt of the same issuer, the full amount is a material holding; or (b) holdings not deducted under (a) if the total amount of such holdings exceeds 10% of that firm'sown funds, in which case only the excess amount is a material holding. |
material insurance holdings |
(a) means the holdings of an exempt CAD firm of items of the type set out in (b) in any: (i) insurance undertaking; or (ii) insurance holding company that fulfils one of the following conditions: (iii) it is a subsidiary undertaking of that firm; or (iv) that firm holds a participation in it. (b) An item falls into this provision for the purpose of (a) if it is: (i) an ownership share; or (ii) subordinated debt or another item of capital that forms part of the tier two capital resources that1 falls into GENPRU 2 or, as the case may be, INSPRU 7, or is an item of “basic own funds” defined in the PRA Rulebook: Glossary. |
own funds |
means the own funds of a firm calculated in accordance with 9.2.9R(2) and The Interim Prudential Sourcebook for Investment Businesses Chapter 9: Financial resources requirements for an exempt CAD firm Page 2 of 2 Version: November 2007 9.2.8R(b). |
own funds requirement |
means the requirement set out in 9.2.9R(1) and 9.2.8R(b). |
verified |
means checked by an external auditor who has undertaken at least to: (a) satisfy himself that the figures forming the basis of the interim profits have been properly extracted from the underlying accounting records; (b) review the accounting policies used in calculating the interim profits so as to obtain comfort that they are consistent with those normally adopted by the firm in drawing up its annual financial statements and are in accordance with the relevant accounting principles; (c) perform analytical procedures on the result to date, including comparisons of actual performance to date with budget and with the results of prior period(s); (d) discuss with management the overall performance and financial position of the firm; (e) obtain adequate comfort that the implications of current and prospective litigation, all known claims and commitments, changes in business activities and provisioning for bad and doubtful debts have been properly taken into account in arriving at the interim profits; and (f) follow up problem areas of which he is already aware in the course of auditing the firm's financial statements. |
Table There are some frequently asked questions about the application of the definition of an open-ended investment company in the following table. This table belongs to PERG 9.2.4 G (Introduction).
Question |
Answer |
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1 |
Can a body corporate be both open-ended and closed-ended at the same time? |
In the FCA's view, the answer to this question is 'no'. The fact that the investment condition is applied to BC (rather than to particular shares in, or securities of, BC) means that a body corporate is either an open-ended investment company as defined in section 236 of the Act or it is not. Where BC is an open-ended investment company, all of its securities would be treated as units of a collective investment scheme for the purpose of the Act. A body corporate formed in another jurisdiction may, however, be regarded as open-ended under the laws of that jurisdiction but not come within the definition of an open-ended investment company in section 236 (and vice versa). |
2 |
Can an open-ended investment company become closed-ended (or a closed-ended body become open-ended)? |
In the FCA's view, the answer to this question is 'yes'. A body corporate may change from open-ended to closed-ended (and vice versa) if, taking an overall view, circumstances change so that a hypothetical reasonable investor would consider that the investment condition is no longer met (or vice versa). This might happen where, for example, an open-ended investment company stops its policy of redeeming shares or securities at regular intervals (so removing the expectation that a reasonable investor would be able to realise his investment within a period appearing to him to be reasonable). See also PERG 9.7.5 G. |
3 |
Does the liquidation of a body corporate affect the assessment of whether or not the body is an open-ended investment company? |
The FCA considers that the possibility that a body corporate that would otherwise be regarded as closed-ended may be wound up has no effect at all on the nature of the body corporate before the winding up. The fact that, on a winding up, the shares or securities of any investor in the body corporate may be converted into cash or money on the winding up (and so 'realised') would not, in the FCA's view, affect the outcome of applying the expectation test to the body corporate when looked at as a whole. The answer to Question 4 explains that investment in a closed-ended fixed term company shortly before its winding up does not, in the FCA view, change the closed-ended nature of the company. For companies with no fixed term, the theoretical possibility of a winding up at some uncertain future point is not, in the FCA's view, a matter that would generally carry weight with a reasonable investor in assessing whether he could expect to be able to realise his investment within a reasonable period. |
4 |
Does a fixed term closed-ended investment company become an open-ended investment company simply because the fixed term will expire? |
In the FCA's view, the answer to this is 'no'. The termination of the body corporate is an event that has always been contemplated (and it will appear in the company's constitution). Even as the date of the expiry of the fixed term approaches, there is nothing about the body corporate itself that changes so as to cause a fundamental reassessment of its nature as something other than closed-ended. Addressing this very point in parliamentary debate, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury stated that the "aim and effect [of the definition] is to cover companies that look, to a reasonable investor, like open-ended investment companies". The Minister added that "A reasonable investor's overall expectations of potential investment in a company when its status with respect to the definition is being judged will determine whether it meets the definition. The matter is therefore, definitional rather than one of proximity to liquidation". (Hansard HC, 5 June 2000 col 124). |
5 |
In what circumstances will a body corporate that issues a mixture of redeemable and non-redeemable shares or securities be an open-ended investment company? |
In the FCA's view, the existence of non-redeemable shares or securities will not, of itself, rule out the possibility of a body corporate falling within the definition of an open-ended investment company. All the relevant circumstances will need to be considered (see PERG 9.6.4 G, PERG 9.2.8.8G and PERG 9.8.9 G). So the following points need to be taken into account.
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6 |
Does "realised on a basis calculated wholly or mainly by reference to..." in section 236(3)(b) apply to an investor buying investment trust company shares traded on a recognised investment exchange because of usual market practice that the shares trade at a discount to asset value? |
In the FCA's view, the answer is 'no' (for the reasons set out in PERG 9.9.4 G to PERG 9.9.6 G). |
7 |
Does the practice of UK investment trust companies buying back shares result in them becoming open-ended investment companies? |
In the FCA's view, it does not, because its actions will comply with company law: see section 236(4) of the Act and PERG 9.6.5 G. |
8 |
Would a body corporate holding out redemption or repurchase of its shares or securities every six months be an open-ended investment company? |
In the FCA's view a period of six months would generally be too long to be a reasonable period for a liquid securities fund. A shorter period affording more scope for an investor to take advantage of any profits caused by fluctuations in the market would be more likely to be a reasonable period for the purpose of the realisation of the investment (in the context of the 'expectation' test, see PERG 9.8 and, in particular, PERG 9.8.9 G which sets out the kind of factors that may need to be considered in applying the test). |
9 |
Would an initial period during which it is not possible to realise investment in a body corporate mean that the body corporate could not satisfy the investment condition? |
In the FCA's view, the answer to that question is 'no'. In applying the investment condition, the body corporate must be considered as a whole (see PERG 9.6.3 G). At the time that the shares or securities in a body corporate are issued, a reasonable investor may expect that he will be able to realise his investment within a reasonable period notwithstanding that there will first be a short-term delay before he can do so. Whether or not the 'expectation test' is satisfied will depend on all the circumstances (see PERG 9.8.9 G). |